Amnesia and SOMA developer Frictional Games has revealed some details about the current goings-on at the studio, and what lies ahead.

In a lengthy post on the official blog, Frictional said that SOMA has sold over 250,000 units across all platforms since it was released over six months ago.

Unfortunately, the studio has yet to break even. For that, the game needs to sell around 20k – 30k more units.

The blog post goes on to explain that, even though sales are relatively solid for a non-hit game, they could’ve been better. Frictional believes this was due to SOMA’s genre being a mix of sci-fi and horror. This, according to the developer, have made potential buyers interested in only one of the two not buy it.

Which is a great point, and it’s certainly the case for me.

Going forward, the studio will try to diversify its output, making more focused projects. Frictional also revealed it’s working on two games simultaneously, splitting the teams.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2016/03/25/soma-sold-250k-in-six-months-frictional-working-on-two-games/feed/0SOMA has already sold 92,000 copies across all platformshttps://www.vg247.com/2015/10/01/soma-92000-sold-pc-ps4/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/10/01/soma-92000-sold-pc-ps4/#respondThu, 01 Oct 2015 15:02:49 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=550858SOMA was released last week and it has already sold 92,000 copies across all platforms.

In contrast, Friction Games’ other popular horror title, Amnesia: The Dark Descent sold 30,000 during its first month of release.

The sci-fi horror game was released on September 22 and is available through the PS Store on PS4, and for PC Linux and Mac on Steam, the Humble Store and GOG.

Check out the new trailer above highlighting some of the game’s scarier moments and press accolades.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/10/01/soma-92000-sold-pc-ps4/feed/0Explore some of SOMA’s mysteries without wetting yourself in terrorhttps://www.vg247.com/2015/09/30/explore-some-of-somas-mysteries-without-wetting-yourself-in-terror/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/09/30/explore-some-of-somas-mysteries-without-wetting-yourself-in-terror/#respondTue, 29 Sep 2015 23:57:21 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=550499SOMA has a rich and mysterious setting and backstory, and now you can learn about it without having to run around a creepy damned underwater station, crying and screaming.

A live action SOMA prequel series kicked off today. It comes to us courtesy of Imagos Films, working in collaboration with Frictional Games, and a new episode will release every day through October 5.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/09/30/explore-some-of-somas-mysteries-without-wetting-yourself-in-terror/feed/0SOMA – the review round-uphttps://www.vg247.com/2015/09/21/soma-the-review-round-up/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/09/21/soma-the-review-round-up/#respondMon, 21 Sep 2015 20:16:28 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=548954Will you get through SOMA without wetting your pants? Let’s see what the critics have to say.

Set in a research facility deep underwater, it was really only a matter of time before something went wrong and everybody was slaughtered by creepy sea creatures.

Frictional Games’ new horror title SOMA is out tomorrow, and here are the review scores for the PC and PS4 versions:

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/09/21/soma-the-review-round-up/feed/0SOMA story trailer shows an underwater hell inhabited by conscious machineshttps://www.vg247.com/2015/09/18/soma-horror-pc-ps4-trailer/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/09/18/soma-horror-pc-ps4-trailer/#respondFri, 18 Sep 2015 13:12:45 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=548659With Frictional Games’ underwater horror game SOMA out next week, the developer wanted to familiarize you with the story once more through a new trailer.

There is barely any food available in the PATHOS-II facility, the machines have become self aware and are acting rather deranged, and the radio is broke. And again, you are so deep in the sea, is there anyway to escape to the surface without your head exploding from the pressure? Is there any escape at all? Or are you too a robot? You’ll have to find out for yourself.

Frictional never mentions whether escaping this underwater hell is possible, or what you’ll find delving “the depths of human consciousness.”

SOMA is out on PC and PS4 next week on September 22.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/09/18/soma-horror-pc-ps4-trailer/feed/0Don’t watch this creepy SOMA trailer in the darkhttps://www.vg247.com/2015/09/10/soma-video-enemies-pc-ps4/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/09/10/soma-video-enemies-pc-ps4/#respondThu, 10 Sep 2015 13:56:35 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=547203Frictional Games has released and new trailer for SOMA, and it provides a look at some of the creatures and enemies the player will encounter.

It’s pretty creepy. I have to say, I jumped a couple of times. Then again, I’m a weeny. And yes, I always refer to this game as being creepy.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/09/10/soma-video-enemies-pc-ps4/feed/0Creepy new trailer for sci-fi horror game SOMA releasedhttps://www.vg247.com/2015/09/03/soma-horror-frictional-pc-video/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/09/03/soma-horror-frictional-pc-video/#respondThu, 03 Sep 2015 12:48:13 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=546070Sci-fi horror title SOMA is out later this month, and here’s a new video showing off the creepy environments.

The game takes place in the underwater facility PATHOS-II where the “radio is dead, the food is running out, and the machines have started to think they are people.”

Developed by Amnesia: The Dark Descent studio Frictional Games, SOMA will release on PC and PlayStation 4 September 22.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/09/03/soma-horror-frictional-pc-video/feed/0Some pretty crazy instruments were used to make the music of SOMAhttps://www.vg247.com/2015/08/25/some-pretty-crazy-instruments-were-used-to-make-the-music-of-soma/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/08/25/some-pretty-crazy-instruments-were-used-to-make-the-music-of-soma/#respondTue, 25 Aug 2015 01:47:42 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=544093SOMA composer Mikko Tarmia used some amazing tech to produce the sci-fi horror game’s soundtrack.

In the SOMA developer diary below, Tarmia shows off the ranks of synthesisers he elected to use to create the score. The musician has a modular synthesiser stacked with a range of Alien-themed units – you can see a Dalek and Vulcan – which Tarmia says can produce some “really crazy” sounds.

Tarmia has wired these up in a mad scientist mess of cables in the hopes that “something good comes out”. He then uses a saxophone-like woodwind Akai controller so there’s an organic, performative aspect to his score – not just sequencers and samples.

You can watch Tarmia create, perform and then tweak a short sequence of sounds to make an awesome eerie drone effect. Check it out:

I love this kind of behind-the-scenes stuff. We see a lot of orchestral groups and producers hitting buttons and staring at screens, but we rarely get to see composers using less traditional tools and explaining exactly how they work.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/08/25/some-pretty-crazy-instruments-were-used-to-make-the-music-of-soma/feed/0Indie horror SOMA is nearly finishedhttps://www.vg247.com/2015/08/24/indie-horror-soma-is-nearly-finished/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/08/24/indie-horror-soma-is-nearly-finished/#respondMon, 24 Aug 2015 02:42:50 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=543963SOMA developer Frictional Games is about to lock down the PC and PS4 horror effort.

SOMA only has one more week of content development, Frictional Games has announced, before entering the “Content Lock” stage.

“After this, no new non-trivial content can be added to the game. Instead, all efforts will solely focus on bug fixing, tweaking details and low-level optimization,” the developer said in a Facebook update.

“Having this kind of lock is vital as things that might seem really simple additions could have ramifications that cause all sort of unforeseen consequences. In the final weeks leading up to release, you want to make sure that you only fix issues and not cause new ones.”

Frictional members have been working very hard to get their ideas in-game ahead of this deadline, and the team believes it has everything in there now – but this last week will act as “a buffer zone in case something unexpected shows up”.

As well as optimisation, tweaking and fixes, Frictional has to get cracking on making videos and store pages, contacting press and making and distributing review builds. It does not expect to be able to slack off right up until release date – September 22.

“After such a long development time, five whole years, it feels insane to be this close to the finishing line,” Frictional said.

“In just a month we will have unleashed our game, and all of you will be able to play it.”

Can’t wait, slash will wait forever because am expecting to be severely traumatised. SOMA is the first Frictional game since Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and we fully expect it to be equally terrifying.

Update: Pre-orders are now open at a 10% discount on Steam, where you can also check the system requirements.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/08/24/indie-horror-soma-is-nearly-finished/feed/0This E3 2015 trailer for SOMA is rather creepyhttps://www.vg247.com/2015/06/11/soma-e3-2015-trailer-horror-pc-ps4/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/06/11/soma-e3-2015-trailer-horror-pc-ps4/#respondThu, 11 Jun 2015 14:17:59 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=531781Herein lies the new E3 2015 trailer for SOMA, Frictional Games’ sci-fi horror title. Watch at your own risk, because you just know death lurks in that dark hallway.

Anyway, enjoy the trailer and the screenshots below. And try not to look too hard at the dark hallways in that trailer.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/06/11/soma-e3-2015-trailer-horror-pc-ps4/feed/0Horror title SOMA has a release date and a 12 minute gameplay trailerhttps://www.vg247.com/2015/05/29/soma-release-date-ps4-pc-gameplay/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/05/29/soma-release-date-ps4-pc-gameplay/#respondFri, 29 May 2015 15:02:24 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=529780A release date for SOMA, the new horror game Amnesia: The Dark Descent developers Frictional Games, has been announced for PC and PlayStation 4.

The digital-only release date was revealed on the PS Blog and in the gameplay trailer you see above.

SOMA will be released on September 22, and you can read up on its development through the PS Blog.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/05/29/soma-release-date-ps4-pc-gameplay/feed/0Amnesia dev’s new project SOMA now in betahttps://www.vg247.com/2015/04/16/soma-beta-amnesia-developer-horror-indie-pc-ps4/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/04/16/soma-beta-amnesia-developer-horror-indie-pc-ps4/#respondThu, 16 Apr 2015 02:13:50 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=522375SOMA is nearly here and I am torn between excitement and horrified dread.

SOMA is the latest horror project from Frictional, the team behind Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

We’re pretty excited to see what Frictional comes up with next, and we won’t have too long to wait, apparently; the developer has announced that SOMA is now in beta.

“This is a huge thing for us and easily the biggest milestone prior to the actual release of the game,” studio co-lead Thomas Grip said on his blog.

“We now have a build of SOMA that contains all of our desired features. There are still a few bits of art, a few sounds etc. missing, but the game is pretty much complete content-wise.”

The latest build is now out for testing in preparation for deciding what to prioritise as Fricitional labours on towards the full release. Fricitional has conducted multiple tests already, and does not expect to make any major overhauls to the project now.

“What’s left is to make sure that what’s there is as good as it possibly can be. Adding effects, improving the art, ensuring stability, making it more intuitive and so on,” Grip said.

Once it has gathered beta feedback, Fricitional will be better positioned to give an idea of release window.

“The time when SOMA is finally out is really close now, though, and we’ll let you all know a date in the near future,” Grip promised.

SOMA is coming to PS4 in addition to Linux, Mac and PC; I do believe it will be the team’s first console game.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/04/16/soma-beta-amnesia-developer-horror-indie-pc-ps4/feed/0SOMA approaching beta phase on PC and PS4https://www.vg247.com/2015/02/25/soma-approaching-beta-phase-on-pc-and-ps4/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/02/25/soma-approaching-beta-phase-on-pc-and-ps4/#respondWed, 25 Feb 2015 22:11:09 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=514645SOMA, the new horror game from the Amnesia: The Dark Descent crew, is getting close to playable.

Frictional Games has apologised for its recent silence over the project, but said it’s focused on reaching beta.

Sorry all for the silence! We're closing in on Beta and everyone's working hard to get there. Once that's done, we'll reveal more!

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/02/25/soma-approaching-beta-phase-on-pc-and-ps4/feed/0Amnesia dev’s latest to “revitalise” horror at a “gut-chilling level”https://www.vg247.com/2015/01/08/amnesia-soma-horror-gut-chilling-frictional/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/01/08/amnesia-soma-horror-gut-chilling-frictional/#respondThu, 08 Jan 2015 02:19:57 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=506802Amnesia developer Frictional Games hopes new release SOMA will introduce gamers to a new kind of fear.

Frictional lead Thomas Grip has said that SOMA will be a different kind of horror experience than Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

“I really hope that people will feel it is a fresh experience. There have been so many games now that are just about running way from monsters, and I think a lot of player are getting desensitized to that,” Grip told GamingBolt.

“So our goal is for SOMA to also feel like a revitalization of the horror genre, just as Amnesia did. Will it be as scary? I do think so! Not just in the same primal ‘run and hide in closets’-fashion that Amnesia evoked, but at a more deeper more psychological and gut-chilling level.”

Amnesia itself was quite different from what was at the time the standard horror experience in games. Grip said that SOMA’s enemies will once more be unlike those found in other titles.

“The monsters are not really enemies in the sense they are in a game like Resident Evil, or even Outlast. You will see very little of them, and we are very careful not to overuse them,” he said.

Most creatures will only appear in one or two specific locations, he continued, and they won’t always be threats – the player will sometimes need their help to progress.

“We hope this gives a sense of paranoia you are unsure how to approach monsters you encounter,” Grip explained.

“Finally, the creatures all also have different ‘rules’ you need to figure out. Some cannot be looked at, others only go by sound and so forth. So not only do you not know if the creature is dangerous or not, you also need to make sure you engage them in the right way.”

Holy balls, that sounds amazing. The full interview goes into greater detail on the game’s systems and Frictional’s ambitions, so do click through above.

SOMA is coming to Linux, Mac, PC and PS4 in 2015.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/01/08/amnesia-soma-horror-gut-chilling-frictional/feed/0SOMA’s latest trailer will make you afraid of the dark and waterhttps://www.vg247.com/2014/04/03/soma-trailer-will-make-you-afraid-of-the-dark/
https://www.vg247.com/2014/04/03/soma-trailer-will-make-you-afraid-of-the-dark/#respondThu, 03 Apr 2014 13:16:23 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=462034SOMA, the scary-looking horror title from Frictional Games, has a new trailer available showing the game running on PlayStation 4.

The darkness enveloping you while you are underwater looks unsettling, and the bottom of the ocean looks to be a hostile environment indeed.

According to Friction Games, the differences in pressure between the surface and “even a modest depth of 100 meters” is enough to turn human into squishy things.

Frictional felt the ocean depths were the “perfect place to explore in a horror game,” and you will be able to experience the isolation yourself when SOMA is released on PC and PS4 in 2015.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2014/04/03/soma-trailer-will-make-you-afraid-of-the-dark/feed/0Frictional head says narrative and gameplay should develop side by sidehttps://www.vg247.com/2014/03/20/frictional-head-says-narrative-and-gameplay-should-develop-side-by-side/
https://www.vg247.com/2014/03/20/frictional-head-says-narrative-and-gameplay-should-develop-side-by-side/#commentsThu, 20 Mar 2014 00:16:33 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=458206At a GDC panel today, Frictional Games’ creative director, Thomas Grip, discussed how developers can go about creating game narratives that fit together better with their mechanics.

Grip said that many developers consider narrative as an afterthought, laying it over the top of an established set of rules and challenges. This can make the two elements into a less cohesive whole, a problem Grip believed can be fixed by incrementally developing narrative and gameplay simultaneously.

Interactive storytelling needs to be about meaningful interaction, not just performing unrelated actions to progress to the next cutscene. There needs to be narrative motivation behind the player’s actions, or they’ll likely lose interest, Grip said.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2014/03/20/frictional-head-says-narrative-and-gameplay-should-develop-side-by-side/feed/1SOMA trailer asks ‘Why are they killing themselves?’https://www.vg247.com/2014/03/05/soma-trailer-shows-scenery-features-terrified-womans-voice-over/
https://www.vg247.com/2014/03/05/soma-trailer-shows-scenery-features-terrified-womans-voice-over/#commentsWed, 05 Mar 2014 14:07:17 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=453912Frictional Games has released a scary new trailer for SOMA. It shows early in-game footage and scenery, and it also features a terrified woman talking about horrible things happening around the place. SOMA is the latest from Amnesia: The Dark Decent developers Frictional Games and is slated for PC and PS4 in 2015. Get yourself up-to-date on the game’s development process over on the PS Blog, where it’s also noted that SOMA should hit its alpha phase in about a week’s time.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2014/03/05/soma-trailer-shows-scenery-features-terrified-womans-voice-over/feed/1SOMA’s latest screenshot and radio transmission reveal that something has gone roguehttps://www.vg247.com/2014/01/22/somas-latest-screenshot-and-radio-transmission-reveal-that-something-has-gone-rogue/
https://www.vg247.com/2014/01/22/somas-latest-screenshot-and-radio-transmission-reveal-that-something-has-gone-rogue/#commentsWed, 22 Jan 2014 17:01:19 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=442385SOMA, which is in development from Amnesia: The Dark Descent studio Frictional Games, has a new screenshots and radio message for you to peruse over. The horror title is set for release on PC and PS4 in 2015. Thanks, Gematsu.

Transcription of radio message intercepted at XX/XX/XXX.

UNKNOWN: Look, this is the short version. — [CORRUPT DATA] — gone rogue. We’re not sure what it’s up to, but it looks like it’s messing with the help. Are you hurt in any way, are you guys okay?

AMY: — [CORRUPT DATA] — are turning on us! We need to get out of here.

UNKNOWN: Hold on, don’t panic. Carl, tell Amy to calm down. You guys can’t have much left to do before evac.

CARL: Calm down, Amy.

AMY: You calm down!

An alarm is heard in UNKNOWN’s mic.

UNKNOWN: Shit. I got to go. Stay the course, ok? Stay the —

Static outburst after which the signal is lost.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2014/01/22/somas-latest-screenshot-and-radio-transmission-reveal-that-something-has-gone-rogue/feed/1SOMA: Amnesia studio releases creepy new trailer and detailshttps://www.vg247.com/2013/12/13/soma-amnesia-studio-releases-creepy-new-trailer-and-details/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/12/13/soma-amnesia-studio-releases-creepy-new-trailer-and-details/#commentsFri, 13 Dec 2013 11:39:55 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=434851SOMA is the next game from Amnesia: The Dark Descent studio Frictional Games. It’s coming to PC and PS4 in 2015, but the team has just posted a new teaser trailer and some details about horror game’s core principles.

Frictional lists SOMA’s five design pillars as ‘everything is story,’ ‘take the world seriously,’ ‘the player is in charge,’ ‘trust the player,’ and, ‘thematics emerge through play.’

On SOMA’s underlying themes and player interaction, Frictional wrote, “SOMA is meant to explore deep subjects such as consciousness and the nature of existence. We could have done this with cutscenes and long conversations, but we chose not to. We want players to become immersed in these thematics, and the discussions to emerge from within themselves.

“It feels wrong to just shove information down the player’s throat. What I find so exciting about having these thematics in a game is that the player is an active participant. There are plenty of books and movies that cover these sort of subjects, but videogames provide a personal involvement that other mediums lack. We want to explore this to the fullest degree.”

Of course, we all play differently, so Frictional understand that not everyone will dance to SOMA’s tune as intended, and may likely have a different experience than its makers planned.

On that note, Frictional still wants players to feel in control of progression. It adds, “We do not force players to notice events by use of cutscenes and similar, but assume they will properly explore the environment and act in a rational fashion. We simply set up situations and then let the player have full control over their actions.

“This means that we will let players do stupid things even if they might break the experience a bit. For instance, if they skip talking to a character with important information then they are on their own after that. And if they get hints that a dangerous creature is approaching, they need to figure out that hiding is the best course of action by themselves.

“While we do our utmost to make the narrative unfold in a fluent and intuitive way, we will not cater to players that make irrational decisions. The environment is set up to be taken seriously and we expect the players to do so too.”

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/12/13/soma-amnesia-studio-releases-creepy-new-trailer-and-details/feed/3SOMA debut trailer released by Frictional Games, out on PC and PS4 in 2015https://www.vg247.com/2013/10/11/soma-debut-trailer-released-by-frictional-games/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/10/11/soma-debut-trailer-released-by-frictional-games/#commentsFri, 11 Oct 2013 13:35:55 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=417037SOMA, the latest from Amnesia: The Dark Decent developers Frictional Games, has been released.

According to the game description, strange occurrences are “disrupting the routines of the PATHOS-2 research facility,” as the radio has become silent; behavioral anomalies of the machines are increasingly dangerous, “if not… malevolent,”; and the facility is “devolving into chaos”.

There are no weapons, and the only escape is “practically unthinkable.”

Frictional describes SOMA as an “aberrant tale of scientific inquiry and survival; an entropic exploration of synapse and circuit that wades through the delusions of human consciousness.”

The game is slated for PC and PS4 in 2015.

Watch over four minutes of atmospheric horror below.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/10/11/soma-debut-trailer-released-by-frictional-games/feed/8Frictional Games releases new SOMA video teaserhttps://www.vg247.com/2013/10/07/frictional-games-releases-new-video-teaser-for-upcoming-ps4-game/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/10/07/frictional-games-releases-new-video-teaser-for-upcoming-ps4-game/#commentsMon, 07 Oct 2013 12:41:25 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=415253The mystery of Frictional Games’ upcoming PS4 game continues, as the developer has released a mysterious new live action trailer. It’s called ‘SOMA: Item #4017 – “Mockingbird”‘, tying in with the recently unveiled SOMA teaser site. It’s best to check it out for yourself. Warning, it contains some strong language, so don’t play it out loud at work.

Frictional Games is the developer of Penumbra and Amnesia: The Dark Descent, so expectation is rather high. The game, whatever it might be, is currently thought by many to be a PS4 exclusive, though there hasn’t been official confirmation of this. Hopefully more will become known as the mystery unravels.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/10/07/frictional-games-releases-new-video-teaser-for-upcoming-ps4-game/feed/15Frictional Games releases first teaser for its next titlehttps://www.vg247.com/2013/10/01/frictional%ef%bb%bf-games-releases-first-teaser-for-its-next-title/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/10/01/frictional%ef%bb%bf-games-releases-first-teaser-for-its-next-title/#commentsTue, 01 Oct 2013 13:11:38 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=413383Frictional Games has released the first teaser for its latest game SOMA, and the video below is live action affair that looks set in the future.

The description for the video is included in a case file called Vivarium, where a machine has “the appearance of a heavily modified monitor fixed to a massive nest of cables and controls.”

A machinist by the name of Peter Strasky “found the contraption during a salvage mission,” which shut down as it was pulled out from a container and the machine’s origin remains a mystery.

“Considering the lack of information and the general unease it has started to cause, the machine will be disassembled,” the “case file” states, noting that some distorted schematics where shown and eventually the machine was put under quarantine.

An engineer named Imogen Reed has asked for an exception to study the machine, and special permission has been granted.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/10/01/frictional%ef%bb%bf-games-releases-first-teaser-for-its-next-title/feed/4Amnesia developer teases next game with mysterious websitehttps://www.vg247.com/2013/09/28/amnesia-developer-teases-next-game-with-website/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/09/28/amnesia-developer-teases-next-game-with-website/#commentsSat, 28 Sep 2013 20:46:39 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=412718With Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs out the door, developer and publisher Frictional Games is ready to tease its next project.

The teaser in question is located at the not-so-subtly-named NextFrictionalGame.com, which features a computer terminal something or other failing to boot up. “Booting system after unexpected shutdown,” reads the page. Following that is a status bar, that at the time of this article, is loaded up to 45%.

The bottom right hand corner shows some garbled up text. The Escapist speculates that it reads “cogito ergo sum” (Rene Descartes’s famous Latin phrase of “I think, therefore I am”) and that Frictional Games’s next game may be about sentient AI. Honestly, I can’t make anything out of the distorted text, so your guess is really as good as mine for the validity of this speculation.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/09/28/amnesia-developer-teases-next-game-with-website/feed/5Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs reviews begin, get the scores herehttps://www.vg247.com/2013/09/09/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-reviews-begin-get-the-scores-here/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/09/09/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-reviews-begin-get-the-scores-here/#commentsMon, 09 Sep 2013 13:23:38 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=406296Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs reviews have started dropping all over the shop. Get the numbers as they emerge here.

Developed by Frictional Games, the title is a sequel to Amnesia: The Dark Descent and it releases September 10 on Steam.

Got a score we’ve missed? Let us know and we’ll add it in when we can.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/09/09/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-reviews-begin-get-the-scores-here/feed/12Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs won’t be exploitable, will be “pretty tough”https://www.vg247.com/2013/06/27/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-wont-be-exploitable-will-be-pretty-tough/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/06/27/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-wont-be-exploitable-will-be-pretty-tough/#commentsWed, 26 Jun 2013 23:55:14 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=382933We know all about how you finished Amnesia: A Dark Descent, you “power gamer”, you. So do Frictional Games and thechineseroom, and you won’t get the chance to do it again in Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.

“We were aware of the exploits players learned in Dark Descent and tried to close those loopholes as we found them,” thechineseroom’s Dan Pinchbeck told Edge.

As the quick-witted among you have no doubt already released, the closing of exploits implies a much more traditional horror gaming experience that thechineseroom’s last game, Dear Esther, which was largely an exploration affair.

“It would have been daft to have a fail state in Esther, but that’s not a given, it’s not something we’d demand or hardwire into our games,” Pinchbeck said.

“I think dying in games is fine if it’s handled right. I hate being handheld too much in games, I think it’s important to have stress response to situations and that’s the fundamental principle of fail states.

“The actually important thing is that players feel the presence of the fail state, as much as the actual fail state itself. So that’s something we’ve tried to get at the core of Amnesia. The fear of dying. So yes, you can die, and parts of the game are pretty tough.”

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/06/27/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-wont-be-exploitable-will-be-pretty-tough/feed/5Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs release delayed into late summerhttps://www.vg247.com/2013/06/05/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-release-delayed-into-late-summer/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/06/05/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-release-delayed-into-late-summer/#commentsWed, 05 Jun 2013 19:03:12 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=374026Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs has been delayed into late summer, according to co-developer Frictional Games.

According to post on Frictional’s forums, a new date has yet to be set, but expect it in late summer, as stated above.

The game was originally set for Halloween 2012, before being delayed into Q2 2013.

“We are working away as fast as we can, it has to take the time it takes. We have no rush,” Frictional stated, adding that co-developer thechineseroom is working on translation for nine other languages for launch.

It was also noted that “the porting guys are porting away – deals are being made.”

Nothing further on that was noted, so let it tease you on possible platforms other than PC if you wish.

Frictional is also discussing the creation of “a new, currently super secret, horror game where we aim to take what we learned from Amnesia to the next level.”

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/06/05/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-release-delayed-into-late-summer/feed/1Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs screens are dark as the hearts of puppy kickershttps://www.vg247.com/2013/04/21/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-screens-are-dark-as-the-hearts-of-puppy-kickers/
https://www.vg247.com/2013/04/21/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-screens-are-dark-as-the-hearts-of-puppy-kickers/#commentsSun, 21 Apr 2013 22:55:52 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=360312You remember how important light was in Amnesia: The Dark Descent – or maybe you don’t because you sensibly dissociated and buried the memories forever. It looks like light’s going to play a major rolle in followup Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, too, if these almost unbelievably dark screenshots are anything to go by.

What’s happening in these screens? Where are we? Can I turn the brightness up on my monitor, please?

In an update to the Frictional Games blog, the indepdent developer confirmed it received a final build of the Dan Pinchbeck-designed Amneisa: A Machine for Pigs, the followup to Frictional’s own Amnesia: the Dark Descent, which released in 2010.

“But don’t get too excited just yet. Some work is still left to be done. We are testing, tweaking, optimizing, porting, translating and all those things that are part of the process of creating and releasing a game,” Frictional said.

“Currently we are looking at a release around Q2 2013.”

A Machine for Pigs had been expected by Hallowe’en 2012, but the project grew from “a short, experimental game set in the universe of Amnesia” to “a fully fledged Amnesia game”.

“A different kind of Amnesia, but definitely not a short experiment,” Frictional said.

A firm release date, pricing, and system requirements are expected soon.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2013/02/19/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-complete-expected-in-q2/feed/3Epic, Frictional, and Microsoft talks added to GDC 2013 schedulehttps://www.vg247.com/2012/12/06/epic-frictional-and-microsoft-talks-added-to-gdc-2013-schedule/
https://www.vg247.com/2012/12/06/epic-frictional-and-microsoft-talks-added-to-gdc-2013-schedule/#respondThu, 06 Dec 2012 19:48:18 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=321998GDC organizers have announced three new sessions for GDC 2013. The first is a production track session from Epic Games called “Building Epic Worlds through the Strengths of Artsourcing” hosted by Epic producer Chris Mielke. The second talk announced is a design session track called “The Self, Presence and Storytelling” which will be given by Frictional Game’s Thomas Grip. Finally, and audio track session titled “Crossing the Streams: Game Audio Rule Breakers of the Past Decade” will be presented by Microsoft’s Scott Selfon. GDC 2013 takes place March 25 – 29 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
]]>https://www.vg247.com/2012/12/06/epic-frictional-and-microsoft-talks-added-to-gdc-2013-schedule/feed/0Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs will be “fairly traditional yet quietly radical in other ways,” says Pinchbeckhttps://www.vg247.com/2012/11/07/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-will-be-fairly-traditional-yet-quietly-radical-in-other-ways-says-pinchbeck/
https://www.vg247.com/2012/11/07/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-will-be-fairly-traditional-yet-quietly-radical-in-other-ways-says-pinchbeck/#respondWed, 07 Nov 2012 20:41:00 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=314145Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs will be “fairly traditional in some ways,” yet “quietly radical in others,” according to thechineseroom’s Dan Pinchbeck.

Speaking with GameInformer, Pinchbeck detailed how A Machine for Pigs takes atmospheric interaction from Dear Esther, and mixes it with the horror the player felt when playing Amnesia. It sounds as though it be one, volatile cocktail of scares with heart palpitations galore.

“Amnesia is fairly traditional in some ways but quietly radical in others,” said Pinchbeck. “One of the things it really does is it’s about buying the player emotional time and space to have this amazing emotional reaction to what’s going on, particularly in the terms of the horror, which is really self-generated.

“That’s a really natural fit with the types of things we were doing with Dear Esther. It’s the kind of focus on story and emotional space that should slot into the Amnesia architecture pretty well. Because an awful lot of that in the Dark Descent is you walking down a corridor or hiding in a cupboard, doing all the work of the graphics card imagining what’s on the other side of the door from you. That’s a weirdly parallel thing to what’s going on in Dear Esther, having a bunch of ideas thrown at you and really you’re building the story that’s just out of reach.”

Pinchbeck added that Frictional Games’, which is executive producing the game, is providing “very extensive feedback” and support for the title, yet it has essentially allowed thechineseroom to just take its baby and run with it.

“Effectively, they pay for the game and then we’re going off making it,” he said. “Every few months we drop a bunch of levels on them, they give us very extensive feedback, and we work through that crazy process together. And they’re on hand to support any kind of technical issues we have with the engine.

“We have this really nice relationship where we’ve got an enormous amount of creative freedom but we also have all this support whenever we want it. They’re great to work with in terms of honing the levels down because they’re so clued in now for how to creative the right kind of experiences for horror games.

“We’ve got access to some of the best horror designers out there. They’re helping us make this the best game it possibly can be. They steer and support us as we go along.”